helpful auto insurance advice, information and tools

Automobile insurance financially protects you if your vehicle is damaged or stolen or there is injury involving your insured vehicle. Essentially, automobile insurance is a contract between you, as the policyholder, and the insurance company. In exchange for your paying an insurance premium, the insurance company agrees to pay your losses as outlined in your policy.

Automobile insurance provides coverage for:

• Property – such as damage to or theft of your vehicle

• Liability – your legal responsibility to others for bodily injury or property damage

• Medical – the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses.

Click here for a comprehensive guide of everything you need to know when obtaining automobile insurance: completing an application for insurance, required information, required and optional coverages, deductibles and answers to common questions to help guide you through the process from start to finish.

Receive a comprehensive toolkit from the State of Florida that outlines the automobile insurance coverage you must have as a Florida resident and describes your coverage options. Click here for the toolkit which also provides guidance on shopping for automobile coverage, the underwriting process and actions to take before and after an accident.

Receive the State of Florida's brochure by clicking here which provides a brief overview of the steps to take when filing an auto claim from the initial accident and contacting law enforcement to resolving your claim with a claim settlement.

The Department of Financial Services stands ready to assist consumers who are having difficulty resolving auto insurance claims. Mediation is a voluntary, pre-suit process that allows you to meet with the insurance company in an informal setting (conference) with a certified, neutral mediator to assist in resolving your claim. Click here for more information on that process and for help.

If you have any article or blog subjects for submission or photographs that you would like to share, please email us so that we can drive that home.